Plastic egg package

ABSTRACT

An egg package made of transparent synthetic resin including a bottom portion and a cover joined together at one side, both the bottom and cover containing carrier concavities for holding eggs, said concavities having lateral ribs therein for contacting the eggs and spaces between the flanges of the bottom and cover to permit circulation of air around the eggs.

I United States Patent [151 3,643,857 Noguchi 51 Feb. 22, 1972 [54] PLASTIC EGG PACKAGE 3,234,030 2/1966 Knirim ..229/2.5 X

u 3,356,277 12/1967 Hohnjec..... [721 lnvemofl fl Noguchl, 1251-10, Oaza- 3,447,731 6/1969 Lehmann ..229/44 R Narabashi, Yamato-cho, Kitatamo-gun, Tokyo-to, Japan [22] Filed: Sept. 30, 1969 Primary ExaminerDonald F. Norton Att B d d N k 21 Appl. No.: 862,324 row y 6mm 52 us. Cl. 4229/44 R, 229/25 [571 ABSTRACT [51] Int. Cl ..B65d 85/32 An gg package made of transparent synthetic resin including [58] Field of Search ..229/2.5, 44 R a bottom portion and a cover joined together at one side, both the bottom and cover containing carrier concavities for hold- [56] References Cited ing eggs, said concavities having lateral ribs therein for contacting the eggs and spaces between the flanges of the bottom UNITED STATES PATENTS and cover to permit circulation of air around the eggs.

3,131,846 5/1964 Whiteford ..229/2.5 1 1 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PLASTIC EGG PACKAGE This invention relates to an egg package made of synthetic resin, and more particularly to an egg package of transparent, thin synthetic resin through which the eggs can be seen easily without opening the cover thereof.

In any conventional egg packages hitherto used, both the bottom and the cover have been made of opaque or translucent materials so that the contents could not be observed without opening. Further the ends of the eggs were in direct contact with the bottom and cover of the egg package so that any shock at the upper and lower ends often caused the eggs to be cracked or broken during handling and shipment. To correct these defects, some of the prior egg containers were made with an easy-opening shape or soft pads were used to absorb shocks. However these measures resulted in a bother for the consumers and additional costs.

Accordingly it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved egg container which is transparent and which is shaped to prevent breakage and rotting of the eggs while reducing the cost thereof. I

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved egg container made of synthetic resin which is adapted to be readily sealed by tape, staples or heat.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be hereinafter set forth and the features thereof defined by the appended claims. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of an egg package in open position in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of the package shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section of the package which contains the eggs and is in closed condition.

Now, referring to FIG. 1, an egg package is shown which includes a bottom portion 3 and a cover portion 3, being formed to receive the eggs when the cover is folded over at the center thereof as shown in FIG. 3. Both the bottom and cover are made of a thin, elastic and transparent synthetic resin. The bottom portion is shown to have six cells 1 adapted to seat the slender portions of the eggs, each cell having the shape of a laterally ribbed cup, as seen in FIGS. 2 and 3. The ribs 5 are all formed by pressing the plastic itself from the outside inwardly, which is one of the features of the invention. The ribs are thus elastic, and not hard.

The bottom of each cell 1, as seen in FIG. 3, is longitudinally spaced so as not to come into direction contact with the end of the eg when the egg is seated. Thus, a space is fonned between the slender end portion of the eggs and the bottom 10, so that the egg is not cracked or broken as substantially described below. On the other hand, the cover portion 3 has cells 1' adapted to receive the round portions of the eggs, each cell being formed with similar ribs 5' and bottom 10. The cells I, l for the eggs, as shown in FIG. 1, are positioned in two rows, so that four cells I of the bottom portion has the central post between them, the top 8 of which is adapted to come into contact with the corresponding top 8 of the cover portion 3, thus serving as one of the columns of the package. Both the bottom 3 and cover 3' have edges or flanges 2, 2' respectively, as seen in FIG. 1, which provide a small interval or space therebetween when the bottom and cover are combined at the other side of the package, so as to permit the airflow in or out freely between the two flanges.

Along the inner edges of said edges or flanges 2, 2' of the package, there are provided flat triangles 11, 11' which can be used for staple or tape engagement which is another of the features of the invention. The triangles 11, 11 are formed to align with each other when the cover is folded. A portion of a top 8, 8 corresponding to the tops 8, 8' of the posts between the flanges 2, 2 for the circulation of air as referred to above.

Thus, when the eggs are packed, as clearly shown in FIG. 3,

they are supported only by the ribs 5, 5'.

Indeed, it may happen that the ribs 5, 5 being made of thin synthetic resin, and being elastic enough, are weighed down and thus prevent the eggs from coming into direct contact against the inner surfaces of the cells, but the existence of the ribs 5, 5' will serve to make spaces between the eggs and the cells 1, l' to let the air flow in or out freely about the elastically supported eggs. Thus, in this manner, spaces exist between the upper and lower portions of the seated eggs and the bottoms l0, 10' of the cells 1, I, so that the air will flow around all the eggs.

In any mass treatment of the egg packages during transportation, the eggs will never be affected by their own load weights or jolting, because the spaces around the egg portions will prevent the seated eggs from being cracked or broken by any possible shock whatever. Also, in this egg package, another important feature is that the triangles 11 formed in the bottom 3 and cover 3' can be used quite easily for the package engagement using tape, staples or heat.

Generally, conventional packages heretofore used are made of nontransparent paper for foamed polystyrene, so that the eggs cannot be seen through the packages unless their covers are opened. Also, their production costs often become high making the packages too expensive for the consumers.

According to the present invention, the egg. package is made of thin, transparent, synthetic resin sheet, so that not only can the eggs be seen well through the package, but also the synthetic resin sheet (for example, 0.18 mm. sheet of transparent hard vinyl chloride) is cut from approximately 200 m. rolls for the egg package production thereby lowers the costs about two-thirds per unit.

What is claimed is:

I. An egg package adapted for packaging eggs comprising a bottom portion and a cover portion, said bottom and cover being transversely connected at the centerline of the package to be folded thereabout for closure, said bottom portion and said cover portion having corresponding cells of polygonal configuration at the tops of said cells, the cells in said bottom portion being adapted to receive the slender portion of an egg and and the cells in said cover portion being adapted to receive the round portion of an eg with said cells in said bottom portion being deeper than said cells in said cover portion, said egg package being made of a thin transparent synthetic resin, each of said cells being formed with lateral ribs pressed therein from the outside inwardly adapted to contact said eggs, said cells being cup shaped with a depth sufficient to avoid any contact of the eggs against the bottoms of cells in both said bottom and cover portions, a flange portion extending about said bottom portion and said cover portion having flat triangles extending inwardly from the outer edges thereof which are in alignment with corresponding triangles when said cover portion is closed over said bottom portion and at least a portion of a vertical post at the portion of the bottom and cover of said package between cells, said posts each having a top surface which is higher than said flanges so that when said package is closed the top surface of each vertical post in the bottom portion contacts the top surface of a corresponding post in the cover portion so as to form a space between the flange portion of the bottom portion and the cover portion to permit the flow of air. 

1. An egg package adapted for packaging eggs comprising a bottom portion and a cover portion, said bottom and cover being transversely connected at the centerline of the package to be folded thereabout for closure, said bottom portion and said cover portion having corresponding cells of polygonal configuration at the tops of said cells, the cells in said bottom portion being adapted to receive the slender portion of an egg and and the cells in said cover portion being adapted to receive the round portion of an egg with said cells in said bottom portion being deeper than said cells in said cover portion, said egg package being made of a thin transparent synthetic resin, each of said cells being formed with lateral ribs pressed therein from the outside inwardly adapted to contact said eggs, said cells being cup shaped with a depth sufficient to avoid any contact of the eggs against the bottoms of cells in both said bottom and cover portiOns, a flange portion extending about said bottom portion and said cover portion having flat triangles extending inwardly from the outer edges thereof which are in alignment with corresponding triangles when said cover portion is closed over said bottom portion and at least a portion of a vertical post at the portion of the bottom and cover of said package between cells, said posts each having a top surface which is higher than said flanges so that when said package is closed the top surface of each vertical post in the bottom portion contacts the top surface of a corresponding post in the cover portion so as to form a space between the flange portion of the bottom portion and the cover portion to permit the flow of air. 